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work and restored to him his lost eyes. His Visvagunadatsam or 'the Mirror of the World' is a Champukavya describing the manners and customs of the different parts of the Indian world. Two celestials Visvavasu and Krisanu are supposed to take a bird's-eye view of things, the former appreciating, the merits and the latter ever censorious and pessimistic. Tfa^ work is intended to expose the faults and prejudices of the various sects then concurrent in the various countries* His Hastigirichampu describes the marriage of Laxmi and Narayana. His style is learned and versatile. At times he revels in the verbal figures but still lines are not rare that are noted for their suggestive and musical form. His descriptions embrace all nature and all art. His mythological lore is equally inexhaustible. His work has been the standard of study among the earlier records of Sanskrit learning. His Uttara-champu relates the story of Sita's banishment and the birth of Kusa and Lava. •
Abhinava-Kalidasa has left to us only his nom-de-plume* He has wantonly avoided all mention of his real name or lineage. The Parimala-Kalidasa of the court of Bhoja could not have been identical. On the face of it, the Champu-Bhagavatkam cannot be placed earlier than the J4th century In six vilasas, it recapitulates the story of Krishna, as related in the purana* T^e poetry does not point to any close similarity with the language of Kalidasa's. The prose passages are devoid of all lucidity or simplicity. The verse however is varied and the composition learned. The benedictions are in praise of Siva and Gauru
This species of composition became the most prominent especially during the centuries after 1400 A. D. Their number
Iourished in ike i^th century. He was the chief pandit at the court of Fralayakaveri. His Laxmisahasram is a poem of 1000 stanzas sin .praise of Laxmi, whods said to have been pleased with hisa of his court and the rest by himself. It is doubted if the work had really anything to do with the royal author. Perhaps his name was purchased. BhojVs poetry is even more appreciated than his prose ; for in the latter the vices described of later Sanskrit prose had already begun to make their mark. Yet the language is very harmonious and musical. His choice of words is especially noteworthy. Tradition, unsupported however